Pours a hazy orange with a foamy beige head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, mango, fruit, and slight chile aromas. Taste is much the same with mango and chile flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of chile heat on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with a nice balance between the mango and chile ingredients.

I guess habanero peppers just don't work in beer. ive had many attempts, and this may be the closest to a hit, but it just doesn't fit. otherwise a fine brew, with a hazy thick orange look and a frothy head of pure white and an inch high. it smells sweet from the mango, but not really very spicy. pale and caramel malts give it a base. the pepper assaults you on the first sip, its not so hot as it is flavorful, until the swallow, at which time it lights a flame in the back of your throat. the cool carbonation tries to quench it, but it burns on. the ten percent alcohol also adds to the heat, which can absolutely be tasted. this is undoubtedly a bottle to share with some brave souls. I like the feel really, minus the heat. the fruit gives it a sweeter thickness and the carbonation is really aggressive. maybe scale back the habanero and this beer is a winner, as it stands though, its hard to get through a glass.

The latest installment in the "Backstage Series", Founders garners inspiration in tropical fruit, supporting sweetness and spicy pepper balance. It works for salsa and chutney, so why shouldn't the combo of habanero and mango work for beer?

Brightly colored with amber, light copper and orange, the ale pours with a zesty turbulence that quickly sheds its carbonation to fuel a cottony white cap. Unfortunately the oils of the pepper and the thin malt structure proves too much to retain and to build upon its froth. Its short stature and terse longevity succumbs to the beer after just a few minutes.

Sweet honey and unmistakable tropical fruit command the nose upon the very first scent and holds on entirely. Fruit esters suggest orange and apricot as complements to the mango additions. A tinge of chili pepper floats just below the fruity sweet scent and peaks through the malt and mango with unique spice and vegetable balance.

Honey and caramel coat the front of the mouth and pave the way for tropical mango fruit and those accessory tastes of orange, pineapple and apricot. Its culmination registers as fruit marmalade as it lingers deep into the middle of the palate. That's when the spice that is largely dismissed earlier begins to separate from alcohol warmth and reveals the taste of capsacin and the vegetable pulp of habanero. Its growing spice treks onward to finish and grows in intensity to surprise the palate and threaten its comfort zone.

The characterful ale is fairly direct and one-dimensional as its malt structure is all honey and candy, but with little of the creaminess or bready textures that really could have smoothed out the pepper. Instead the heat springs from the sugary base and numbs the palate with its capsaicin prickle.

I rather adore the initial taste as impressions of candied habaneros come to mind. But its simplicity is its curse- it needs more than honey and habanero to carry the load. Richer dextrin malt or lactose could really give the ale the heft that it needs to better support the pepper and not interfere with the sweetness or fruitiness.

Appearance: Pours a clear golden color capped by a meringue-like magnifico head; great retention leaving shards and a cloudscape of lace

Smell: Mango and other tropical fruit aromas with capsicin tingling the nasal passages

Taste: Sweet mango juice and shortbread malt with the habaneros bringing the heat, in the middle; delivers much the same through the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation; tingles the tongue with the heat

Overall: Perhaps a little less heat, a little more body and a more interesting hop bill would all make this beer so much better; still, I liked it more than most around here and think somebody can tweak this recipe to make a great beer

Bottle: Poured a golden color ale with a small foamy head with light retention. Aroma of sweet malt notes with light mango notes. Taste is also dominated by some sweet mango puree notes with quite the spicy kicks hitting toward the end. Body has somewhat of an oily texture with medium carbonation and surprisingly hard to detect alcohol. Very interesting mix between mango and spicy/hot peppers.

Acquired at me local HEB Grocery. 10% ABV confirmed per the label. "Mango ale brewed with a hint of habanero." 750ml brown glass bottle with stylized label art and a black branded pry-off pressure cap served into an Independence Brewing pilsner glass in me gaff in low altitude Austin, Texas. Expectations are quite high given the brewery, which makes some beers I love. Reviewed live. Reviewed as a fruit beer because it identifies as such on Founders' website:

Served cold, straight from me fridge, and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: No bubble show forms as I pour.

Pours a one finger wide head of white colour. Fluffy. Okay creaminess and thickness. Decent frothiness. Light lacing clings to the sides of the glass as the head recedes. Head retention is good for the ABV - about 4 minutes.

Body colour is a clear pilsner yellow of average vibrance. I didn't expect that colour from a fruit beer; it's weird to see the appearance and think that it's a 10% beer because I'm so conditioned to associating this colour with low-average ABV beers. Transparent; translucent. No yeast particles are visible.

Overall it's generally appealing but not unique or special. I'm looking forward to trying it. Has no obvious flaws.

A pleasant subdued aroma of mild strength. I find it a bit mouthwatering. Looking forward to trying it.

No yeast character or alcohol is detectable. I don't detect any off-notes.

T: True to its epithet, it's got plenty of refreshing mango fruit - which primarily occupies the open through the second act. Hints of habanero hit on the climax and linger through the finish and into the aftertaste, but the heat is never overwhelming or unwelcome, nor does it limit drinkability. Pilsner malts, munich malts, and light nectary hops fill out the rest of the flavour profile for the most part, though I do get some juicy watermelon up front as well. It's a nice pairing of refreshing fruit with spicy peppery heat, and the execution is good. It's balanced, both in terms of flavour and structurally. Though the heat of the habanero is far more intense than the mild fruit up front, the former never overwhelms the latter. The candi sugar in the body lends a sweetness that tames the heat. On some sips, I don't even notice the heat until the aftertaste hits. Impressively balanced, indeed.

Like most beers out there, it could use more complexity and subtlety. This is hardly a subtle beer, but rarely are chili peppers used with nuance. For the premise of the beer, I think Founders does well here, but there's room for improvement.

Intensity of flavour is well above average, as is duration of flavour - both due to the habanero. Depth of flavour is average for the style, though I do want to point out that Founders does a magnificent job of delivering the mango flavour; I can't imagine how difficult that'd be with actual mango fruit.

I could use more of a hop presence, as well as a bit more flavour in the second act. I like the beer overall.

Mf: Smooth and wet. I'm hesitant to call it refreshing, but it certainly is up front - just less so once the habanero hits. Well-carbonated. Not as crisp as I'd like. Good presence on the palate. Full-bodied. Good thickness. Complements the flavour profile well, mostly by staying out of the way and letting the flavours do the talking.

Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, or harsh.

Dr: It's difficult to say whether this is a true "fruit beer" (if that's even a style) or a chili beer, but that difficulty is a testament to its quality; it hybridizes the two styles seamlessly. I think the chili heat is just about right, but I'd like to see them bring up the mango just a bit more. It's very drinkable for the ABV - which is quite sneakily concealed; I'd even say dangerously so. I certainly wouldn't want to drink two in the same night, and I think Founders is right to recommend that each bottle be shared. That said, I'll enjoy killing this bottle alone tonight, but I'm betting it'll be an inadvertent nightcap.

Overall, it delivers on the premise - there's plenty of mango and habanero here - as well as on the level of quality I've come to expect from Founders. A dangerously drinkable fruit/chili beer hybrid from one of the best breweries on this continent. Certainly worth trying. I'd recommend it to friends and trade partners.

Poured into an imperial pint glass a clear golden brass color with a sitcky one finger white head atop.Aromas of sweet alcohol,mago,and a burning habenero,the aromas were lighter than expected.Quite sweet and sugary with the tropical fruit/mango flavoring than a sharp burn from the peppers in the finish,there is a smattering of piney hops that's noticable.It needs more of a fuller body and something to balance the sweetness a little.I love Founders but I spent way to much on this beer in my opinion.

Nose oh yeah mango, there's plenty of fresh mango and not the citra hop like mango like fresh mango in the beer itself, some passion fruit as well, a nice honey mead aroma interestingly too, a big mead aroma actually coming with the mango, a light peach apricot like stone fruit as well, little apple, a hint of pepper as well, no real malt though. Hard to rate this, great mango and fruit, light pepper, but barely any beer at all.

Taste starts with a sweet malt flavor actually, unline the nose had, then right into the fruit though. Plenty more mango, juicy mango juice and fresh fruit flesh, as well as more stone fruit like but not a lot this time, light apricot maybe, but tons of mango. It even has a thick fleshy mouth to it like there is fruit pectin mixed in and little starchy. The habanero comes in quickly too, mostly pepper head more than anything, very little pepper flavor. Finish is a little sticky syrupy, but not super sweet but a little sweet, plenty of lingering pepper heat but not super hot, just enough to let yo uknow there was hot pepper in there, but also not really a habanero flavor either, touch of mango fruit too.

Mouth is med bod, a thick fruit pectin like fleshy feel, decent carb.

Overall interesting, but hard to give this a good rating. Yeah it has lots of mango, but lack of beer underneath, and lack of actual habanero flavor, which I love the flavor of habanero but this is just the hot pepper heat. That's about it.

750 to the dome. Poured in none other than my founders goblet because I am a boss like that.

Half a finger of white head. Decent retention with a fair amount of lace. Color is a clear gold/orange.

The flavor starts out fresh and fruity with a big dose of mango. It really doesn't show any heat. As the beer sits a bit, the fire kicks in. The habanero peppers sit in and light things up. Very hot and spicy. A hint of smoke. This beer shows some malt, but no hops. It is very unique. No presence of the 10%.

Mouthfeel: See above. Sweet at first, then fiery. My mouth actually feels like I have ate some peppers. Medium bodied.

Overall, I am a big fan of this beer. It has a lot of elements that I like. The main reason I like this beer so much is because it starts out with mango, then fades into habanero. It isn't some jumbled mess of a combination. The flavors are strictly split up.

Edit: batch 2: a bit on the sweet side. Has that fire in the kick, but maybe too malty or too much sweet fruits. Still enjoyable.

750 ml bottle into snifter, bottled in 8/2013. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy deep golden amber color with a 2 finger dense white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of mango, peach, pear, apple, honey, bread, light pepper, and herbal earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance of mango, malt sweetness, and light pepper notes; with solid strength. Taste of big mango, peach, pear, apple, habanero pepper, honey, bread, and herbal earthiness. Good amount of habanero pepper spice/heat on the finish; with lingering notes of mango, peach, pear, apple, habanero pepper spice, honey, bread, and herbal earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice balance of mango/malt sweetness and habanero pepper spice flavors; with no cloying sweetness or pepper spice after the finish; but a good amount of heat does linger. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a moderately slick, smooth, and lightly syrupy mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is well hidden with only a small warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very good spiced fruit beer. Good balance of mango, sweet malt, and habanero pepper flavors; and quite smooth to sip on for the the ABV. A nicely enjoyable offering.

Clear amber with a decent head and lacing.
The light and fruity aroma does not prepare one for the powerful taste and somewhat hot feel, although it does remind me of a fruity liqueur. Starts very sweet but this diminishes. A huge mango note dominates mid-taste, eventually fading to the tropical fruit + bread aftertaste. Notable heat from the chilis seem to exaggerate the harshness from the high ABV. With the chili peppers, the ABV feels even higher than 10%. Nonetheless, there's a nice smoothness underneath.

O: interesting, enjoyable and not challenging, although if you are very sensitive to chili peppers burn you may disagree. I suspect it would improve with aging.

On-tap 10/31/2013 at Track 84 in Warwick, RI, served in a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a deep amber color, with a thin off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains mango, caramelized malts and some hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with a strong mango flavor followed by a burst of chili pepper heat. The heat intensifies as you continue to drink the beer and disguises the high ABV. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy and there’s a mild but complementary hops presence creating a good balance. The after-taste is all heat.

I saw this floating around my area when it was released, but I never really was interested enough to actually seek it out. And then it was gone. So now, it was probably past it's prime (if it had one), but I'm thankful to try it anyway.

Poured into a Founders bell tulip, an orange-tinted copper color, hazy, with a small white head; moderate retention and lacing. Aroma was on the thin side, some pale malt sweetness, with some herbal hops and a slight vegetal presence. Well usually in pepper beers, I get the heat in the finish, but I was getting it right up front in this one. Pale malt sweetness with a good, lasting pepper burn; there was some light candied fruitiness, but I'm afraid the majority of the mango had faded at this point, because I barely picked up any. Medium body, prickly mouthfeel, both from the pepper heat and the decent carbonation. I think a small bottle format would've been a lot nicer for this one, but I still managed to polish off a half bottle (with the wife not too enthusiastic about her pour). I guess I would've liked to try it fresh, but oh well.

I picked this up at Brass Rail, poured chilled in a goblet from the 22oz brown bottle.

The color is much like mango nectar with golden and amber hues with white cream cap which holds well. The smell is a nice blend of mango fruitiness with a slight pepper odor in the background, mild earthy contrasts with the sweet fruit notes. The feel is great, smooth and sweet up front with mild tangy feel then as the liquid is swallowed a mild heat surfaces letting you know chile was used to augment, very nice balance of sweet and heat.

The taste is great, lots of mango which is enjoyable especially since it is labeled as a Mango beer foremost. I like how the pepper does a good job of being noticeable but not overwhelming in the flavor. I wish I would have gotten more when it was available - this is a very drinkable blend of fruit and habanero!

Glowing deep golden hue, great clarity and a good display of lacing on the glass. Mango pulp, peppery, sweet, bready grain, mild alcohol and cake batter make for an interesting aroma. First sip see the bite of the habanero peppers, mango juicyiness is throughout. Bready malt base, modest hopping. Warming more from the habanero than the alcohol. Heat and some mango in the semi-dry finish.

It is what it says ... a big beer with mango and habanero, nothing more and nothing less. Just enough peppery heat. This beer is crying to be paired with, if not beer brined with a pork loin. Worth a try for sure.

What better place to drink this than in an apartment that breeds awesome spicy goodness? Anyway, this stuff pours a clear brass topped by a finger or so of lightly off-white foam. The nose is monochrome, a simple and constant wave of mango syrup. It's not overly sweet, but it certainly comes across as artificial, though in a pleasant-seeming way. There may or may not be some mild bits of dark greens way in the background, but that's more likely just some psychosomatic desire to perceive some peppers through the nose. The taste continues the mango syrup bath, though it's tempered by a juice-like quality, very similar to white grape-peach juice 'round these parts. Near the finish, some mild heat and greenery from the peppers come through, but all of this is mostly shouted down by the mango. Moreover, the flavors don't get the opportunity to clash, allowing the heat to flow relatively smoothly from the mango sweetness, though the pieces are indeed distinct. The body is a lithe medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fluid feel. Overall, this was a pretty nice beer. It's nothing amazing, but both myself and VDubb (with whom I shared the bottle) found it pleasing enough. I don't get the swill denunciations, but, then again, I don't always agree with everyone else, so, yeah...

o - Overall I wasn't a huge fan of this one. It is interesting and I'm assuming what they were going for, but too much spice and peppers for me; I woudl have preferred it with just the mangos. Interesting and worth trying if you like the spice, but glad I didn't pick up a bottle of it.

The beer is orange with a white head. The aroma brings mangos and tropical fruit notes, booze. Rich and syrupy with overly sweet fruit notes and booze. Spicy heat emerges more in the flavor than the aroma had indicated. Too much. A few ounces was more than enough for me. Lacking any subtlety or elegance that might make this beer anything noteworthy. Founders makes some outstanding brews, but they also create many, like this one, that fall way short of the mark, at least to me.

Great vibrant copper hue with a fine creamy textured white head, forms fine even lacing with each sip. A great complex beer that I plan to seek out in bottle. It's hard to find I guess I'm lucky I found it on tap at Mad Mex Robinson. Great mix of beer and spice combined with and IPA and mango. The nose gives you that mango flesh with an appealing back end of malts and pepper spice. Flavor is smooth with the first initial sip and with each additional sip gives you some building heat, fresh mango puree with a spiced iPA this is grounds for success. I'm a fan, medium to full bodied slick oily textures from the hops and the peppers. I will be looking for more no doubt.

I had this on tap at smokin joe's and the following day tried it from a bottle just to make sure I got a firm idea of what this brew is all about. It pours a copper color with polished clarity. A rich white froth rests atop holding strong througout the duration.

The aroma is quite inviting with primarily a not so distinct fruity and tropical feel. Somewhat fruity like alcohol...and hops...and the advertised mango. But with a backing of significant sweetness to the nose that is almost candy-like as well.

The flavor of this brew is best described as pepper jelly. It is sticky sweet and fruity with a candy quality about it before getting vegetative and almost gritty feeling. The hops provide a hint of bitterness that gets trumped by the sweetness. The aftertaste is earthen with hops and a mild burning touch of more vegetative pepper quality.

This is full bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. It is interesting and not something I would want to have more than 2-3oz of at a time. The fact that this comes in a large format bottle is laughable unless you are sharing it with 10 people or are doing it as a joke/shock value. Worth having to say you tried it but thats about it.

On tap at cask and vine.
Pours a lightly cloudy medium golden color with a smallish head that despite a valiant effort, holds little retention. Aromas of mango and sweet sugars with a light earthy non descript spicy character. The flavor is quite sweet with sugars and the aforementioned fruit. The finish is a mix of alcohol, hoppy bitterness and a light habenero burning in the back of your throat. Medium to thick body with a light level of carbonation and a spicy sweet slick mouthfeel. A bit on the sweet side for my tastes but the alcohol and pepper heat balance that quite nicely.

At first a real glowing what appears to be crystal orb glowing peach orange and brass bronze like color, but close inspection shows it a bit hazy slightly. Head grows a nice foamy and creamy two to three fingers tall, and settles with some nice minor lacing on the edges.

Palate is fruity punch sweet. Powdery slightly, with a bit of tropical pulp like sensations. Heat and spice on this is not very evident. What appears is a sweet smelling tropical juicy brew with no malt or hop presence. Candy like nose but clean. Interesting not sure where this is going.

Sweet palate. Fruit angle hits first with a honey and peach fruit like coating. Sticky qualities not so much, but the finish is all hot peppers. Controlled without a giant rush of heat, or chili head freak nature. Sweetness and spice is perfectly balanced, with a controlled, slowly warming gradual heat sensation. The fruit action also moves to a sort of peach quality, with the peppers and fruit going back and forth over and over. Bready malts come out a bit on the swallow, but the fruit and pepper quickly take over. No hint of boozy heat that the ten percent abv hints at either.

OVerall, the brew is really fun, and it does well on its own to drink by itself. It also screams a food pairing, I was thinking with it's fruity and peppery character fish tacos and more so pork carnitas or something Hawaiian. Fun times from Founders indeed.